India
Updated : Dec 14, 2014, 07:46 AM IST
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured the office bearers of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) that he would follow up with the Centre the investigation into the murder of anti-superstitions crusader Narendra Dabholkar. Even after the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of India (CBI), there has been no breakthrough.
Dabholkar was shot at point blank range by two unidentified people on August 30, 2013 in Pune. The issue was raised Parliament, and MANS has been organising protests over the issue on the 20th of every month for the last 15 months. Dabholkar was the founder of MANS.
A delegation of MANS, including its working president Avinash Patil, chief secretary Madhav Bawge and state general secretary Gajendra Surkar met Fadnavis on Thursday evening and handed over a memorandum.
It was because of public pressure after Dabholkar's murder that the state government passed the anti-superstitions bill in the winter session of the state assembly last year.
MANS pointed out to Fadnavis that though there was opposition to the anti-superstitions law being enacted, in the last one year, 108 cases had been registered under it.
Patil said even though the CM didn't have time, he had discussed the matter with them for five to 10 minutes. He said Fadnavis had assured them that he would talk to CBI officials as well as the Central government to follow up the case.
Patil also pointed out that even though the anti-superstitions law had come into force, adequate funds had not been allocated to convey the legal provisions to the masses effectively. Only if that is done can exploitation of the poor be stopped, he added. Patil said the CM had assured them that he would convene a meeting of all concerned departments along with MANS delegation soon in order to make the law an effective weapon against superstitions.
No mention of the law
In his hour-long speech on law and order in the assembly on Friday, though the chief minister made a reference to the human sacrifice to trace some hidden treasure and acquire extra-special power (Aghori Vidya) in Wardha, he did not refer to the anti-superstitions law or Narendra Dabholkar's murder.